Celebrating the legacy of the Eureka Stockade

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves has reaffirmed the importance of continuing to honour the Eureka Stockade as the city prepares to celebrate a major milestone of one of the most significant events in Australian history.

This year marks 170 years since government forces attacked miners and their allies who were barricaded in a hastily erected fortress on the Eureka diggings that would famously become known as the Eureka Stockade.  

The 1854 Eureka Stockade uprising remains an enduring foundation story of Australian democracy. The rebels were protesting prohibitive miners’ license fees and the heavy-handed policing that accompanied its payment.  They were also concerned about restrictive rules around mining, land ownership and the right to vote.

A pre-dawn attack on 3 December 1854 resulted in the known deaths of 35 people – 29 rebels and six soldiers – and possibly many more. The attack may have stopped the agitation at Eureka, but it shocked the Victorian community validating the rebels’ cause and influencing the democratic reforms that followed.

An important part of the Eureka legend is the flag raised by the rebels at its meetings and ultimately over the Eureka Stockade. Popularly known as the Eureka Flag, with its bold representation of the Southern Cross constellation against a deep blue background, it remains one of Australia’s most recognisable and contested national symbols.

In 2024 a new event has been added to the Eureka Stockade commemorative calendar – the raising of a replica Eureka Flag in Sturt Street’s Queen Victoria Square to launch the Eureka 170 program.

This flag raising ceremony marked the 170th anniversary of the first flying of the Eureka Flag on 29 November 1854 at a ‘monster meeting’ on Bakery Hill which was attended by around 10,000 people.

Eureka descendant Phillip Moore ceremonially raised the flag in Queen Victorian Square on Friday morning as a precursor to the Eureka 170 program.  

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Jay Morrison with Eureka descendant, Phillip Moore and Member for Eureka, Michaela Settle in attendance at the flag raising.

The program includes Eureka Sunday Live on Sunday 1 December featuring live music with Emma Donovan and Shane Howard, as well as the Eureka Stockade Commemoration Service and Peter Tobin Oration on Eureka Day, Tuesday 3 December.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said it was crucial that the Eureka Stockade continued to be remembered and recognised in Ballarat.

“It’s vital we continue to remember who were involved in the 1854 Eureka Rebellion, and especially honour those who died in the event,” she said.  

“Their actions have profoundly informed Australia’s democratic character and the freedom and rights we enjoy today.  

“I encourage people to join together to mark this landmark anniversary and celebrate Eureka’s legacy at events held across Ballarat.

“170 years on, Eureka remains an event that defines our city and the values we cherish. It is also remembered across the nation as an enduring foundation story of Australian democracy.”

Eureka Centre Manager Anthony Camm said the Eureka Centre’s purpose was to help people engage with Eureka and find their own place in the story.  

“We know community views about the Eureka Stockade and its significance vary widely. This makes for many dynamic conversations about its impact and legacy,” he said.

“But no matter how you feel about Eureka, we can all find common ground in embracing its enduring spirit and remembering its place in the forging of our free, open and inclusive society.”

For more information about Eureka 170, visit the Eureka Centre Ballarat website.